River's journey into the land of many deserts

Flag Day UAE

At 10:45 am our entire student body filed into the central courtyard of the school in preparation of the raising of the flag at 11:00.

According to tradition, at 11:00 am every November 3rd, students all across the country sing the national anthem as they raise the country’s flag. For a culture that lives according to “rubber time” (flexible adherence to time in general), I found it quite impressive that the whole country would abide by this exact designated time. And then, as the collective voices of my girls bellowed from their hearts and filled our little mountain school with such unabated passion for their country, culture, and heritage, my impressions swelled to full bloom. I connected to the solidarity of their voices, knowing their song echoed across the Hajar Mountains, dipped into the valleys throughout the range, skipped over the deserts, reverberated in high tech metropolises, and sailed along the shores of the Persian and Oman Gulfs.

Live my country, the unity of our Emirates lives
You have lived for a nation
Whose religion is Islam and guide is the Quran
I made you stronger in God’s name

Oh homeland!
My country, My country, My country, My country
God has protected you from the evils of the time
We have sworn to build and work
Work sincerely, work sincerely
As long as we live, we’ll be sincere sincere
The safety has lasted and the flag has lived

Oh our Emirates!
The symbol of Arabism
We all sacrifice for you

We supply you with our blood
We sacrifice for you with our souls

Oh homeland!

Meaning of the UAE flag:

Red represents hardiness, bravery, strength and courage. The vertical red band represents the binding of all four qualities together in unity.

Green represents hope, joy, optimism and love. It also represents the country’s prosperity.

Because white is the purity, this color represents cleanliness peace and honesty.

Black represents strength of mind and the defeat of enemies, and also strength of mind.

About River

I love to meet new people and learn new things; I love to write, kind of like to read, and in spits and spurts, I enjoy cooking. Sewing, yoga, swimming, and exploring are favorite activities. There are many, many things I don’t know, and a few that I do know: I know that I treasure my children more than anything in life and that it is my responsibility to them to live my life as fully as I can. So here I am: Fujairah, United Arab Emirates. My name is River Lin, and this is the story of my days in the land of deserts.